Emma Geller Greene
by Lulabell007
Summary: 15 years on from the FRIENDS finale, Emma is grown up and fighting her own battles against guys and her friends
1. Chapter 1

A sharp beam of light shone down on Emma's face and she screwed up her eyes, at the sudden shock of it. Blinking, she looked up slowly to find her mother tying her curtains back at her generous window. She wriggled in her bed, whining at her mom, until she flipped over and buried her head under her pillow.

"Get up Em! Summer's over, and you promised you would be up twenty minutes ago."

Emma moaned and sunk her head deeper into her pile of pillows.

"Fine." Rachel said loftily, "But you have thirty seconds until Daniel beats you to the bathroom. Fair warning."

Emma sat straight up and ran for the bathroom door. The corridor was long and was lined with beautiful abstract art and pretty wallpaper, much to Daniel's dismay. Once safely first in the bathroom, Emma rubbed her big brown eyes and turned the shower on.

Within the hour Emma was dressed in an orange-red skater dress with a large brown belt, matching heels and was quickly shoving books into a large handbag.

"Emma, I've got you're pancakes ready," Ross said walking into the entrance hall, where Emma was stood, starting to lead her into the kitchen.

Emma looked up, "Oh, no I'm hitting Starbucks with Sophie and Cassie, and then we're going to meet the group before school, so I'll see you later."

Ross watched her long golden-brown hair swish out behind her as she turned and headed straight for the door without looking back. He sighed and ran a hand through his greying black hair. He'd discussed Emma with Rachel on several occasions and she'd assured him that she was just being a normal teenage girl like she had been, but the short skirts and high heels never seize to bother him.

Emma walked down the street and slid into the car that slowed to a stop in front of her.

Marcus leant over the seat and closed his hands around her neck, drawing her towards him. He kissed her carelessly, his tongue shooting into her mouth instantly. Her lips were forced into parting and she let him lift his hands to her chest. After a couple of minutes he let her go as quickly as he had grabbed her and the impact made her hit her head on the car door.

He started the car and drove, ignoring her.

He wore ripped black jeans and his school football sweater. He was the captain this year and Emma recognised the smug look in his sharp green eyes, even under the mess of his dark brown hair. She supposed it was partly because he was the captain of the football team, but also because he was a 'friend with benefits' to the captain of the cheerleading squad and reigning number one on the schools anonymous tumblr 'sexiest girl' account, just in front of her best friend.

When he reached Starbuck he came to a hault, "Okay, I'll see you later."

Emma frowned, "Aren't you coming in? Everyone's gonna be there."

"No. I can't be seen with you too much, because you'll act like a girl and pretend like I'm your boyfriend, which would suck, 'cause I'm not and I never will be."

Emma felt the sting of his cold tone and tried to keep her breathing even. Before she said goodbye, she stopped herself and stepped out the car slowly in silence. She waited for him to say something or kiss her softly like he used to, but the second she was stood on the sidewalk he slammed down on the accelerator and the car disappeared into the distance.

Emma took a couple of seconds to collect herself, but when she looked up she found she wasn't as alone as she had first thought. Cassie gave her a sympathetic smile before crossing the street and grabbing her in a tight hug.  
>Cassie walked with Emma into Starbucks and let her ignore the situation and pretend to be happy. She slid into a booth in the far corner of the coffee shop, while Emma went to buy coffee and muffins.<p>

When Sophie, Riley and Danny came in she waved wildly, until she caught Riley's attention. She swallowed carefully when Riley flashed her a beautiful smile and shook the sudden rain outvof her choppy blonde hair. Cassie ignored the butterflies dancing in her stomach, and got up to hug her three friends.

"Hey gorgeous," Riley greeted Cassie. She could feel Cassie's cheeks flush as their faces brushed in the hug. She smiled to herself and revelled in Cassie's embarrassment. Riley had liked Cassie for over a year, and was happy with being friends and not over stepping her boundaries as the friendship meant more than anything else. But she couldn't deny these moments of hope that it wasn't as crazy as it seemed.

Emma relaxed when she saw her friends and was greeted with a warm hug from Danny. Danny was Sophie's cousin and, like Sophie, had thick soft brown curly hair. It was cut in a very neat style, that wasn't dissimilar to an Abercrombie and Fitch model. He had a slight tan from the summer which made his sharp green eyes stand out all the more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys, second chapter here, but I didn't really understand how the whole chapter thing worked before so Chapter 1 finished in a bit of an awkward place so sorry about that, and I hope you like this! xx**

Danny watched Emma move around the circle exchanging hugs and compliments of new hairstyles or dresses. He'd made quite a study of her in the last couple of years, and he could sense something was wrong, from the way she'd put her arms around his neck instead of his waist when she hugged him and the way her dimples seemed to flicker uncertainly when she smiled at each member of the group.

When the final coffee had been drunk, the group rose and walked the several blocks to the high school, before being met by Sophie's boyfriend Max. Cassie listened intently to the clicking of Riley's heeled boots in front of her. Her mind wondered and she was very glad to have her thoughts interrupted by Emma.

"Cassie?" Cassie looked up at Emma blinking. "Can you come, Cassie?" Emma repeated.

Cassie faltered, "Ummmm, what's this?"

"My parent's wedding anniversary." When Cassie stayed silent Emma rolled her eyes and continued. "It's this Saturday. Sorry for the short notice, but my mom only decided she wanted a proper celebration on Friday night, and she says she needs RSVPs by tonight. It will be pretty simple; my mom and dad's friends, family, a buffet, free drinks and dancing. We can even sneak out, depending on how drunk the adult get."

Cassie considered for a minute before answering, "Is your crazy aunt coming?"

Emma paused, "Which one?"

Sophie scoffed, "_Which one?_ The blonde one. My god I love her. Is she going to be there?"

Emma nodded slowly, perplexed by the excitement of the group.

Max grinned, "I'm totally there. Do you remember that thing at your eighth birthday?"

Emma searched her memory, but honestly her Aunt Phoebe's stories were so multiple she found it hard to remember any specifics.

Max continued, "You had those ponies hired, and she spent the whole time talking to this one, saying that it was against their rights to be tied up and forced to walk around in endless circles. But when she untied this one, it turned out that it was actually a good thing it was tied, 'cause it went on a crazy rampage and destroyed the whole party. The cake ended up worn by every single guest." He grinned again, "How can you not remember that?"

Emma smiled as the memory sunk back until she could picture her Aunt Monica's face as scarlet coloured frosting showered her daughter's new pale blue dress. She laughed at the thought, and listened to the remainder of Phoebe stories her friends had collected over the years.

"So, is everyone coming then?" Emma clarified.

Sophie pondered for a second, "Is your step-brother coming?"

Max looked at her accusingly, and she snorted, "Come on, I'm not allowed to have a minor crush on my friend's older brother, when you can't even come to a cheerleading thing without dribbling!"

"You're on the cheer team, I'm dribbling at you. Not that I dribble." He then added quickly.

"Right. Sure." Sophie answered sarcastically.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma applied her makeup carefully on Saturday morning, listening to the shouts of her Aunt Monica, trying to organize the party. Emma ignored the sounds from the backyard and smoothed down her dress as she stood up.

Rachel was in the entrance hall arranging champagne glasses on a silver tray when Emma came downstairs.

She looked up and smiled, "Hi sweetie," she smiled, "That's a nice dress, when did you get that?"

Emma looked down at her dress, "This? Oh my friends all went shopping for stuff for today and I didn't have enough cash, so Danny bought it for me."

Rachel raised her eyebrows at her daughter, "A guy bought you a dress?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal, he had the money and he offered. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Rachel looked at her daughter; she had silky waist-length hair and smooth tan skin. She was always beautiful, but it seemed the girl was even more like Rachel than she knew. She remembered high school, wanting guys that would make her feel grown up and superior. She just hoped Emma learnt this quicker than she did. She knew Emma was better than she was. She had Ross in her too after all.

"I'm not looking at you like anything." Rachel smiled again, finished with fixing the glasses and went to see whether Monica had murdered one of caterers yet.

The party had already started when Sophie, Max, Cassie, Riley and Danny arrived. They followed the trail of people into the large backyard. It was a typical American backyard, with a neat lawn, and flowers in flowerbeds. However, for today there was a big buffet table laden with food and a big bar stuffed with drinks.

Danny looked around the sea of faces for Emma. Suddenly he caught a shimmer of gold in the corner of his eye. She saw her smile and laugh at something an old woman said, before twirling around to fill someone's drink. She was wearing the dress he had bought her and he was embarrassed to find that this gave him a tingly feeling in his stomach. It was a sunshine yellow dress with small red roses covering it. It had a full skirt that filled out and swirled when she moved, mirroring her long blonde curls. He grinned at her, god she was gorgeous.

It took her a second to notice the group, and her face lit up with a wide smile. Ross watched his daughter, walk over to a cluster of teenagers. He watched a tall good looking guy gather her in a hug, then gaze at her as she greeted everyone else. He was tempted to laugh; the face was one that he was very familiar. It was a face that he used on Rachel many times, when he was Emma's age. But, he actually felt worst for this guy. He saw that he had a proper relationship with Emma, it would be harder for him.

"So, your crazy Aunt here yet?" Cassie asked.

"Or your hot step-brother?" Sophie added.

"My crazy Aunt Monica's here – and personally I think she's craziest-," Emma laughed, "but Phoebe and her family's coming soon, with the families of the rest of my parent's gang. And Ben and his _girlfriend_ are coming in from the city as soon as they can." Emma answered.

"Ah, damn it," Sophie said. Emma sighed at her, and led her friends to get some food.


	4. Chapter 4

Phoebe gathered the kids into the back of her cab. Ariel chewed her already stubs of nails. She was never very excited about these family gatherings. She didn't seem to fit within the group. She was the plain one. Her older sister, Fifi, had inherited their mother's quirky and confident personality, while her older brother had the musical talent Ariel decided came from their father –Phoebe had quite a different opinion - with musician good looks.

Ariel's cuticles were bleeding by the time the car had pulled up at the large house in Scarsdale. When they stepped out Mike put his arm around his twelve year daughter, knowing her signs of nervousness. She was his quietest child and he was a bit worried about her at times.

A few minutes after the Hannigan clan arrived, Chandler Bing pulled into the driveway bringing his and Monica's children Erika and Jack. Emma watched amused, as Erika was lectured by her mother for her choice of attire: a low cut black mini, and wedges. As always Erika worked her mother brilliantly, so Monica turned to Chandler.

"How could you let her out like that, she looks like she's going to have ones shoved in her g-string within two minutes!"

Erika smiled, "I'd never do that mom, chill."

Jack scoffed, "Yeah, she'd never do anything under twenties."

"Quiet, guys. Look Mon, this way if someone explodes the cake you won't be so distraught she ruined her dress." Chandler joked.

Erika grinned at her dad, "Exactly."

Erika loved teasing her mom, she loved her to bits but had always like winding her up. People who didn't know, said she got it from her dad. She would nod and smile, because of was possible that she had, just not it the way everyone thought.

Monica tried to get her daughter's outfit out of her mind and wondered how long she could keep Erika away from her mother, who was currently talking to her grandson Jack about his school football win last week.

Danny looked around the garden at the different mixes of people. He now knew what Emma meant about having multiple crazy Aunts. The dark haired woman with the seemingly rebel child seemed to be desperate to control the whole party, and Emma had also pointed out a woman called Amy, her mom's sister, who had apparently been a surprise arrival which had annoyed the dark haired woman to no end.

Emma smiled to herself as she looked at Danny. He seemed totally enthralled by everyone, looking around. She walked up to him and stood beside him.

"So, what do you think?" she asked him.

"Of what?"

"The party. You seem to be giving it a fair bit of thought and I'm interested to find out your opinion."

"Ahh. Well, it seems to be planned impeccably. And the people seem to be having a good time, with the exception of a few, but that just adds a bit of colourful drama. I'm very impressed."

Emma beamed at the way he spoke. He was so cute and nerdy. "I'm glad. So, I think the fam will be sufficiently sloshed in about a half hour, so we can go inside and do something else soon."

He looked down at her, and she realised suddenly how close to each other they were stood. His ocean green eyes looked so beautiful. "We?" he asked quietly.

She swallowed carefully. Her insides quivered and all she could see was those eyes. What was she doing? She didn't like Danny. Danny was Sophie's cousin. Danny was_ Danny_. He was her rock, the guy who was always there for her. He was like a brother.

She blinked deliberately, "Yeah, the group. I'll go find everyone."

Emma rushed away as quickly as she could. That didn't mean anything, she told herself. It was just a crazy fluke, hormones or something. Or maybe it was a response to the trouble she'd been having with Marcus lately, her mind trying to think of something else. And his eyes... Well, they were the same colour as Marcus' after all. That was it. She just missed Marcus. Slightly flustered, she quickly found herself collide with a human sized wall.


	5. Chapter 5

It took Emma a couple of seconds to realise that the human sized wall, was actually a human.

"Woah, you're gunna wanna be a tad more careful there, bitch," Emma looked up and the girl winked at her.

Emma's face broke into a huge grin, "Raina!"

Raina grabbed Emma in a hug and squeezed her tight.

"Jeez, Em, where's the fire?"

Emma blushed slightly, "Oh sorry, bit distracted."

"Awww, missed me that much? Good thing I'm back then," she winked again.

Raina Tribbiani was Joey's niece. Her mom, Dina, was pregnant when Emma's mom was, but Emma didn't meet Raina until the pair was ten, when Joey took her in. Dina had gone to rehab, and her boyfriend Bobby had left her to pursue his band: 'Numb Nuts', so Raina had to go somewhere. The two had always been close, but didn't see each that often.

The two spoke excitedly to one another and Emma took her to meet all her friends. When she had found them all, they snuck into the house and Emma led them to the den in the basement.

The den was cool with multiple fans set across the ceiling. Emma had decorated it in ninth grade, for some extra money from her parents. Emma slumped down on one of the sofas and all her friends surrounded her.

"I'm bored. What are we going to do?" Sophie said suddenly after several minutes.

Everyone looked from one another, in silence.

"We could play seven minutes in heaven." Max said winking at his girlfriend.

"Oh my god, we haven't played that game in years!" Cassie said happily and smiled, "We thought we were so grown-up, when we moved on from spin the bottle."

Emma laughed warmly at the memory.

"Let's play spin the bottle."

Everyone turned to look at Riley. "You serious?" Emma asked.

Riley nodded, "Yeah, for old time's sake. Besides, we're older so it will be better, like when we were twelve the girls refused to kiss girls and same with the guys. I think we should play."

"I'm always up for watching girls make out," Max said smirking.

Ignoring her boyfriend's comment Sophie agreed, and soon the seven of them were sat in a circle on the floor with a beer bottle sat prominently in the middle of the circle.

"Okay, who's going first?" Raina asked.

"I think Max should. He seemed very enthusiastic about the whole thing," Cassie decided. Max nodded with a grin. However, the first spin was fairly uneventful as the bottle landed on Sophie.

Sophie then kissed Riley, and Cassie felt a flicker of hope when Riley spun, but it landed on Danny. Riley and Danny's kiss was quick and simple, but Emma felt an uncomfortable twinge in the pit of her stomach. Something about the look he gave her a half hour ago, had really messed her up.

Danny drew back and Riley's naturally red lips smiled friendly at him. He smiled back, then leant forward and spun the bottle. Emma watched it slowly come to a stop pointing towards her.

Danny looked at Emma, and he could barely hear anything while everyone whistled and encouraged. Emma crawled across the circle slowly. She decided it was best to just get it over with, as it would be suspicious if they didn't kiss, but looking at his emerald eyes she became more and more uneasy. Danny carefully slid his hands into her gold hair and felt her shiver slightly at his touch. Her hair was soft and smelt of vanilla with a faint aroma of roses. He was desperate to savour the moment, but he knew that everyone was watching and his having his hands in her hair would have already got some attention.

He felt her hands on the sides of his face and then her soft lips were on his. Emma's mind blurred. She could vaguely feel his hands in her hair and then on her waist. His lips were warm and she pulled him closer, linking her arms around his neck.

Cassie watched her two friends, slightly stunned. Everyone was staring at them with the same expression. At first Cassie thought they were taking the mickey of the situation, but as soon as they started kissing, the situation became very obvious.

Danny pulled back slightly and Emma sighed. She stroked the hair on the back of his neck, before making her way back to her space in the circle.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, for this chapter, I'll just put in a little reminder of Kate Miller, the actress Joey was very taken with in season 3... xxx**

Everyone was sat staring, and no one had anything to say.

"So, do I spin now?" Emma asked uneasily.

"You know, I don't think we should play anymore, cause every kiss will just be a letdown now after that," Max said, trying to defuse the awkwardness.

Cassie looked slightly concerned, but gave a small smile. This didn't feel good. Emma was with Marcus wasn't she? Marcus wasn't the kind of guy who reacted very well to not being the centre of a girl's attention. He didn't like being in a real relationship, but he expected the girl to only be with him. Cassie loved Emma, and didn't want her to get hurt.

"Let's go back to the party. I think some of us could do with stealing some drinks after all," she said.

She and Raina rose first and were closely followed by everyone else.

"Is your brother here yet, Em?" Sophie asked, as they went back into the garden.

Emma glanced around and spotted a tall blonde guy in his mid-twenties, and gestured to him for Sophie, who sighed happily.

Ben spotted Emma and walked over, hand in hand with a petite auburn haired woman. He greeted her with a hug and a light kiss on the cheek. "And this is my girlfriend."

The woman smiled kindly. She had a square shaped face and wide brown eyes with long eyelashes. "Hiya, Evie Miller." She offered Emma a small hand, which Emma then shook.

"'Pleasure. What time did you guys get here?"

Emma was grateful for the distraction, and she spent the rest of the party keeping herself busy and catching up with her family. She talked to Evie quite a bit too, she was sweet.

Emma sighed. It was late and the house felt still with silence. Emma sat in her bedroom in a loose nightgown brushing her long hair. She had said a brief goodbye to her friends, after having mostly ignored them for the rest of the party. Cassie had stayed the night, because it had already been arranged, but she had left Emma alone, and Emma was glad. She felt too weird, and she definitely wasn't ready to think about Danny. It had all happened so fast. One second he was one of her best friends, and so sweet, then the next he was looking at her and kissing her in a way that made her brain melt.

It was such a relief when people started leaving, and she knew she could get away from everyone. Raina had then texted asking questions, but Emma had ignored her. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remember Danny doing it. It only took a second for the thought to give her goose bumps.

A noise seemed to echo through the house, and Emma's froze. Slowly she turned towards her window. It started rattling, quietly at first, but then louder and faster before it slammed open with a bang. Emma jumped backwards against the wall. She watched, shaking slightly as a figure emerged, green eyes catching the light.

After a few seconds, Emma exhaled relieved. "Marcus."

Marcus strode across the room, dragging mud with him. His eyes were on fire, and looking at them she found they scared her, unlike Danny's which made her heart flutter.

"What are you doing here? It's past midnight," Emma asked, her voice wavering.

Marcus barred Emma against the wall, with his arms either side of her. His face looked cold. "Thought you could use some company."

He yanked Emma to him and held her so tight her arms started to go numb. She moaned in pain, but he took the opportunity to kiss her. She wriggled uncomfortably, so he held her tighter and tugged at her nightshirt. It fell easily from her shoulders, down to the floor. His hands slid over her and he kissed her everywhere he could reach.

Pain was radiating up and down her arms, and she was starting to panic. Her eyes felt hot and tears were stinging, but unable to fall. She felt completely helpless. Marcus' nails were digging into her skin and she wriggled again when she felt his hands on the clasp of her bra. "Please," she murmured.

He flicked it open in a second and raised a hand to muffle her scream. He flung her bra to the side and looked her over greedily. Emma desperately tried to pull away, but Marcus held her tight, his knuckles white.

Shoving her backwards, so her head hit the wall hard, he fumbled at his pants, keeping her still by pushing his arm against her neck. Emma coughed and sucked in breath frantically. With his pants having been tossed over his shoulder Marcus threw Emma down to the floor and she hit the ground with a deafening sound.


	7. Chapter 7

Her head was throbbing when Emma woke. She found herself in her bed, with her mom stroking her hand carefully. She saw Rachel's eyes were watering, but they brightened suddenly. "You're awake. How do you feel?"

Emma blinked. She didn't know. Why was her head banging like this? Bang, Bang, Bang. She stopped. Bang. She had hit the floor. He'd pushed her and her head went bang. Fuzzy images started to come back, from the mess in her head. Marcus' mad eyes, his white hands holding her and the red marks on her skin from his murderous grip.

"What happened? He pushed me down, and then I can't remember anything. What did he do? Where did he go?"

Rachel looked down at her daughter, and let a tear fall down her cheek. "It was so loud; when he pushed you down. Your dad heard and found you. He screamed. Quite the girly screamer your dad," she tried to smile, "Cassie, Daniel and I came out. It was so scary, I didn't know what was going on, and then we saw you. I thought you were dead. Your head was bleeding, and you were so still. I think your dad would have killed him right there. If, if Daniel hadn't punched him out."

Rachel paused, not bothering to wipe the next tear that fell, "We called the police, so you don't need to worry about it anymore. Everything's going to be alright."

Emma processed and gave a slow nod. "Where's everyone?"

"Your dad's at the police station with the guy, and Cassie is helping Daniel dress his hand; it was quite a good punch, not a clue where he gets it from." Rachel's second attempted smile was just as unsuccessful as the first , "And the ambulance is on its way, I just thought I should get you into bed anyway."

Emma nodded again, then leaned back on her pillows and closed her eyes.

Danny jumped into his car, the second he heard. Cassie had texted him at two am, and he had arrived at the hospital before three. He needed to see her. He needed to know that she was ok. That fucking asshole. He was going to murder him. Slow and painful, so he could feel the pain he had caused her.

He found her room easily, having met her mom he knew to look for the biggest room there was. She was in the room alone, tucked neatly under the covers. She looked so precious. He wondered how she managed to still be the most beautiful girl in the world even under those circumstances. She opened her eyes at the sound of the door, but she stayed quiet when she saw him.

He crossed the room and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Hi. How are you doing?" he asked her cautiously.

"Why don't you guess?" Her voice was sarcastic, but her face looked sad. Her eye-lids were heavy and there were dark smudges under her eyes.

"Right. Yeah, stupid question. Of course you feel sad, I would feel-"

"You think I feel sad?" Emma interrupted. Danny looked at her confused, she continued, "I'm not sad, I'm so angry! Every time the thought of it crosses my mind I want to throw something straight across the room!" she flamed.

Danny looked in awe at the way her brown eyes set alight and the strength she had, even lead in a hospital bed. "Well, it makes sense that you're angry, that son-of-a-bitch was-"

"I'm not angry at him!" Emma screamed at Danny, "I'm angry at me!

"I was weak. I let him do it. He had his hands on me, and I let him do it. The more he hurt me and the closer he got to taking me, the weaker I got. I was too scared, I couldn't do anything. I remember asking him to stop, 'please', the tiniest murmur, and my voice cracked as I said it. I didn't even have the strength to finish one word. You're supposed to have rushes of adrenaline, fire inside you that lets you fight back, save yourself. I didn't have any of it. I was just a stupid little girl that needed her daddy to come and save her. He should have let him do it, I deserved it. I wish he had, I would have a real reason for being here with all these people asking me if I'm ok. I don't deserve their sympathy, I wasn't even raped. All he did was kiss me, and I was too bloody childish to let him. I'm a sixteen year old girl that screams and cries over a guy kissing her. It was all my fault, and I hate it. I hate my little brother for having the strength to do what I couldn't; I hate my mom for looking at me like I'm going to fall apart but most of all I hate me, for making the whole fucking thing happen!"

Emma's voice broke for the second time that night, as she screamed at Danny again. Tears poured down her cheeks, as she bawled loudly. Danny wasn't sure what to do, but he did the only thing he could think to. He took her in his arms and let her cry.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, sorry this took so long, and is so short, I had a bit of a block :( but I'll have the next bit up soon xx**

Phoebe was the last of the six friends to arrive at Central Perk. She felt the rush of nostalgia when she spied a huge coffee mug sat on one of the coffee tables. Walking in, she gave a warm smile to a man with a lot less white hair than he used to, and a lot more wrinkles. He still had that obviously sexy thing going on though.

She sat down on the infamous couch. She smiled again; she suddenly got a very intense feeling of déjà vu. It felt exactly the same, sitting there with six cups of coffee and Joey's three muffins, but everyone looked different. Hairlines had receded, pregnancies had taken their toll and lines had drawn themselves on every face.

Rachel gave a small smile, "Sorry to drag all you guys here. Ross and I have something that we really need your help on, and this place solved more problems that I than I can count."

Everyone nodded, understanding. "We're listening," Chandler encouraged.

Rachel looked across at Ross for support. She still hadn't accepted the situation.

Ross took her hand and squeezed it carefully, "We think Emma's in trouble. She went into hospital last night.

"Oh my god! What happened, is she alright?" Monica gasped.

Ross continued, "Yeah, she's going to be fine. We found her in a bit of a ... compromising position."

"Like a sex compromising position?" Phoebe said.

"Yeah, but he was forcing himself on her. She was unconscious; he seemed to have thrown her on the ground. I heard and found him on top of her in a pool of her blood," Ross explained.

Everyone stared, opened mouthed. Anger bubbled dangerously in Joey stomach before he jumped out of his seat.

"Who is this guy? I'm going to punch his head in so hard! That bastard! He's going be sorry for this!" he stopped, looking around him, "Chan, where's my bat?"

"Whoa Joe. Appreciate the sentiment, but Dan actually beat you to it. Beat me to it too, but it probably better him than me," Ross said, getting Joey to sit down.

"Have you talked to her?" Monica asked them.

Rachel shook her head, "There wasn't time. She was asleep pretty much the whole time we were with her, and I went in this morning, but she was asleep in her 'guy friend''s arms. It worried me even more of course, I think she could do without having a guy around for a while, but at least they were fully clothed."

Phoebe watched quietly. The situation was a bit too familiar for her. "You have to leave her for awhile."

Everyone stared at her. "What? Why?"

"The bigger deal you make of it the harder it will get for her. I know Emma and I know the situation. If you push her to talk about it, or step on eggshells around her, she'll become distance. She'll talk to you if she wants to. But in the meantime, it's a good idea to let her talk about it to her friends. Like that guy. Otherwise just carry on as normal. She's gunna be embarrassed."

Rachel pondered this for a minute. She supposed it made sense, but surely Emma would be insulted, and think they didn't care about her.

"She knows you care," Phoebe answered Rachel's thought. It was always mildly creepy when she did that.


	9. Chapter 9

Shopping always made Emma feel better. It was one of her greatest talents, and was surprised to be finding that Danny wasn't a complete failure at it either. They had ditched school, because Emma really didn't feel like being bombarded with questions, and she definitely didn't feel like seeing his face, or his smug smile.

It was a nice day, and Manhattan was alive with people as it always was. There was something about that amount of people that had to make you notice. You could find every kind of person in New York City, if you just looked. Not many did, but Emma often looked at them all to see who she could spot.

However, today she wasn't in the mood, and she only really noticed Danny. Danny was making everything slip away. Something about it all was making her forget everything. It was still so fresh with only a couple of days having passed, so everything was still a whirlwind and she couldn't let herself stop and think about it. She had barely slept since the hospital, because sleeping was the only time she couldn't control her mind. It would replay over and over, until she woke up in a cold sweat. It was already haunting her and she didn't know what to do.

Danny knew it was killing her. Her dimples were flickering at every smile and she hadn't hugged anyone they way she usually did for days. He felt awful to find that he liked this way better though. She fitted against him perfectly, when she hugged him with her arms around his neck, and it felt more intimate. Her fingers brushed against his neck and his face was filled with her hair. He would breathe her in desperately, he felt like he was losing his mind.

It was later than they had intended when the pair found two seats on the train from Grand Central. Danny listened to Emma's breathing slow and steady. Her eyes were closed and her head nestled into his shoulder. He smiled down at her.

He knew he had to leave her alone.

She didn't need him trying something with her, she was too vulnerable. Marcus had hurt her badly. She just needed a friend right now, someone to help her deal with this, because she couldn't do it on her own. It was going to be hard, of course. He could have done it easier if he had had to a couple of days before. But now he had their kiss spinning around in his mind. He could still taste her, smell her. And it didn't help that she was smelling like she did, right on his shoulder.

He forced himself to think of other things, as he stared out of the window as everything whooshed by. He thought of school. He thought of sports. He thought of cheerleaders. He thought of Emma in her cheerleading uniform...

He shook the thought off. And pulled out his iPod, deciding her would drown out his thoughts.

Emma felt herself pulled back to reality. It took her a second or two to recognise the sound of the train and realise what it was. She could feel Danny's strong shoulder supporting her head and she smiled. She hadn't had the dream. She had been able to sleep without remembering the night. She felt safe and she knew it was Danny that had saved her from her own self-conscious.

"We nearly there?"

Danny looked down at her again, and paused his iPod, that seemed to be blaring loudly in his ears. "Ummm, yeah. That's the station there," he pointed and Emma nodded, stretching out her back as best she could.

"Hey, do you think you could do me a favour? Could you come and stay at my place tonight? I know I'll be able to sleep better if you're there, and you've helped me so much."

Danny felt his stomach tug at him, how could he handle this? "Yeah, of course," he said.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma saw it. The dark haired boy's eyes flashed. She screamed, and he laughed, crazed. With a quick force she hit the floor. Dark red blood swirled around her, thick and warm. He knelt over her, drenched in blood...

Emma sat up straight. Her bedroom was dark, she felt cold and her whole body was shaking. She could still feel the blood on her hands and rubbed them ferociously against her silk duvet. She let the hot tears explode from her eyes, clasping her bedrail to steady her.

Still quivering, she rose. She looked around the room at all of her things. Everything had stopped being comforting. It had all become foreign or something that had witnessed her humiliation and pain. She was trying so hard to push through it, but it was becoming a lot more of a process than she had intended. Her floor was the worst. It was stained with a deep red mark and slightly dented from her having been thrown so forcefully to the ground. Deciding that she shouldn't be in her room right now she sneaked out into the corridor, where she was met by several doors, identical to that of her room. Knowing who she needed to see she slipped silently into through the one on the far left.

Danny's deep breathing told her he was asleep, and she felt instantly relaxed. It was the second guest bedroom, and the size of an average master bedroom. The bed was huge, but instead of drowning him, Emma noticed he looked strong in it. He wasn't wearing a shirt and Emma got a fine view of the beginnings of his well-structured abs.

Emma snuck up to him slowly, so as not to wake him, and slipped under the covers next to him. She didn't want to intrude or push boundaries, but she felt like she needed him. She didn't understand it, but something about seeing his face made her heart warm.

She was asleep within minutes and awoke from a wonderfully dreamless sleep several hours later.

Danny woke early and found someone snuggled against him. It took him less than a second to recognise her flowery vanilla smell seducing him completely. Thinking he was still dreaming he smiled, loving the feeling of his skin on hers. He dozed like this for several minutes, wishing his dream wouldn't flash to another as fast as it always did.

But it didn't.

Realising, he was awake; he tensed up and tried to think of something else. He focused all his attention on a strange abstract painting of a dinosaur on the wall for the next hour, trying to ignore the soft draping of golden locks on his bare chest. Despite the painting looking slightly like an odd shaped green banana, it wasn't the most interesting painting and having Emma wriggling in her sleep, reminding him she was there every second, wasn't helping his concentration.

Emma slid back into consciousness mid-morning, to find herself well rested and alone. The heavy curtains still hung closed and the room was dark. She rose and pulled on one of the guest robes hung on the door.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, I only just realised that I have 'Daniel' and 'Danny' in this! So sorry, and I hope it doesn't get too confusing... xxx**

It was Emma's first day back at school today. She'd spent the everyday of last week at home and every night in the guest bedroom. Danny was being so great; he always knew the right thing to do and she had barely thought about Marcus in days.

Until now. She scrubbed herself violently in the shower, a nervous wreck. She had to see him today. He would be there in homeroom, then at lunch and on the field playing the game. Emma was cheering tonight, which didn't help her nerves. She knew that nobody at school knew so she wanted to be cool, but she still didn't feel like cheering Marcus on.

She had woken up before five, and it was the first day she'd woken up before Danny, he was always downstairs with Daniel when she woke. After her aggressive shower she walked into her bedroom to get her clothes and get ready.

She had decided the night before that she needed to look fantastic, without trying too hard. She needed simply sexy. If she didn't look amazing, people would think she was broken, and if she looked perfect, people think she was broken, but covering it up. After finally selecting, what seemed to her, the most important outfit of her life, she dried her hair. She had opted for basic jeans and top, with her best 'killer heels' and then she would dress up her makeup, hair and accessories.

Danny was confused to find himself alone in the bed that morning, but noticed it was still messy from where she had been. Guessing she was getting ready, he went to check if she was alright. This was going to be a hard day for her.

Walking into her bedroom, his eyes widened. "Holy shit," he thought.

He knew she looked beautiful in those dresses she wore, but she looked effing hot in those jeans and heels. Her hair was curly and slightly wild, and her eyes looked huge under the makeup she'd used. He was very grateful she hadn't noticed him at the doorway, especially when she dropped her brush, had to bend down and get it and he had to roll his eyes to the heavens. She really didn't do her body justice half the time. Why the hell hadn't he seen this outfit before?

Pulling himself together, he knocked on the door, "You 'right?" he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled, dimples flickering. "Yeah, I suppose. Do I look okay?"

Was she kidding? "Yes. You definitely look...okay."

Seemingly not noticing his slightly strained tone, she continued to fuss with herself, and busily put things in her school bag.

It was still only quarter to seven when Emma was ready so she went down into the kitchen, letting Danny get ready himself. Ross was ready too, and was cooking his pancakes. It had been a very long time, since she'd had her dad's special pancakes. She smiled when she recognised the smell.

"Morning, dad," Emma said, with a genuine smile.

Ross looked up at her, "Hey honey, pancake?"

"Please."

She sat up on one of the stools at the island and laughed as her dad tried to flip pancakes. At least they only lost three. She enjoyed her time with her dad. He was such a nerd, and a minor freak, but it was he was nice to talk to.

They never really talked anymore, she was so busy being a teenager and as nice as that was, Ross missed her. He felt like he had missed so much of her childhood, and it'd flashed by in a second. They hadn't been a proper family until she was about four, and those were four years he could never get back. Then she became the perfect little girl, and did girl things with Rachel. He loved her of course, and they could always talk, but he felt like they didn't have that much in common anymore.

They looked up when Danny came in and when Emma turned to pick up her bag, Ross saw the look on Danny's face again. He'd seen it a lot during the previous week, and was finally starting managing to fight the urge to laugh. He let Emma kiss his cheek and then watched the pair head for the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Danny could feel Emma's nerves from next to her in the car. She twiddled her fingers nervously, chipping her nail varnish. He wanted to say something to calm her, but there was nothing to say. Her coffee had gone cold in her hands, without a sip.

Emma and Danny entered the school and Emma heart started to race as she crossed the corridor. Danny still had nothing to say, but he took her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze. Emma felt his warmth spread over her and she her pulse steadied. He made her feel comfortable.

She felt people's eyes on her. The flutter of voices carried amidst the lockers. Emma's hands tightened as she struggled to keep her confidence in check. She finally spotted her friends and she felt Danny's hand slip out of hers quickly.

As nice it had been to be away from everyone, completely disconnected to the world, she had missed them all. Walking forward she was nearly knocked out by two slender arms gripping her neck. She clung to Cassie for several seconds, hearing her muffled cries.

Pulling away, Emma saw Cassie's puffy red eyes. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed tearfully, "I knew what was going on, how he was treating you; I knew I couldn't trust him, and I didn't do anything!"

"Hey Cas, we probably shouldn't be doing this in a corridor," Max said looking around at all the people staring at the group and the sobbing Cassie.

"Let's go in here," Danny led them all into an empty classroom, where Cassie continued blubbering.

"It's all my fault! I'm your best friend and I didn't say anything! He could have killed you, then you'd have died and I'd have to hate myself forever!"

Emma took Cassie in another hug and gave her a tight squeeze, "It's not your fault Cassie."

Sophie sensed a further meaning to Emma's statement and said bluntly, "It's not yours either Emma. Marcus is a class-A son-of-a-bitch with a fuc-"

"Easy!" Max held Sophie back.

This conversation was starting to make Emma uncomfortable. She didn't want to talk about any of it. She'd been hoping that they would have wouldn't have been so emotional, just a couple of hugs and a sympathetic 'I'm sorry.' She wasn't ready for anger and devastation.

"Ummm, I should get my books out of my locker, I have to go."

Emma stood up and left the room quickly. From outside, she heard Danny's voice saying; "You might wanna dial it down a bit. She's really sensitive about the whole thing; I don't think she wants to talk about it."

People mulled around her whispering, she only recognised them, not having spoken to any. Until she walked up to her locker. A girl in her English class gave her an encouraging smile, and another told her, "I always hated him anyway."

Emma frowned. They couldn't know, right? Nobody knew but her friends and her parents and they would never tell. Her friends knew how private it was and they would never have told. Telling herself it was a coincidence, she opened her locker finding a note fall to the floor.

_You lost us our quarterback, right before the first game. Nice going bitch._

Emma flushed, Goosebumps arising on her skin. There was no mistaking that. Marcus was definitely the quarterback, but what did it mean, 'lost'? She screwed up the piece of paper and shoved it in her bag.

Feeling sick to her stomach, and a surge of rage vibrated through her, she rushed back to the classroom where she found Cassie and Riley still in there. Cassie was crying desperately into Riley's shoulder, who was carefully stroking her hair, "She doesn't hate you Cassie, you're a wonderful friend to her."

Emma opened the door, and they jumped apart looking terrified. Emma would have been confused, but she wasn't focused enough to think about it.

"What do people know about what happened?" she demanded.

Riley blushed, "What are you talking about?"

"What do people know about what happened last Saturday?" she demanded again.

There was a long pause before, wiping her tears, Cassie answered, "Well, you know school... when your dad came in and Marcus was expelled-"

"My dad got Marcus expelled?"

"You didn't know that?" Riley asked incredulously.

Emma shook her head, "And he came to the school to make sure it was done?"

Riley nodded, "Rose Collins heard and told Lily Baker, who told the whole cheerleading squad, and as great as you cheerleaders are, you're not known for your secret-keeping. By forth period on Monday everyone knew."


	13. Chapter 13

Emma pushed through the morning with difficulty. She wanted to scream every time someone looked at her like she was some defenceless victim. Riley had definitely been right. Everyone knew. It seemed as if everyone pitied her, even her teachers knew and let her off all her missed assignments, she would have felt so much better if they had yelled at her. She was actually glad someone had given her that note. At least she wouldn't be getting sympathy from the football team.

When the bell sounded, Emma walked straight out of her classroom without a second glance at her friends. She ducked in and out of people until she was at the far end of the school at the entrance to the football field. Students weren't allowed on the field during school time, and a lock had been put on the gate when kids were found smoking here a year ago, however there were some perks for being the cheerleading captain.

The lock opened easily as she finished entering the code, and she sighed into the wind. Nobody could hear her or see her from here and she rejoiced in that fact. Letting off steam, she charged across the field, flipping and tumbling as she went. She had been doing gymnastics since she was five years old, because her mom was so into her becoming a cheerleader.

Loving the freeing feeling, she did several more jumps before flopping down on the floor. Danny knew where Emma was going as soon as she left the classroom. It was her safety spot, his too. He'd first met her on that field. Slipping through the still open gate, he saw her. She was lying on her back looking up at the sky, tears slowly sliding down her face. He walked to her carefully, not sure whether he wanted her to hear him or not.

Her hair was spread out behind her on the ground and he smelt her familiar scent as he reached her. She looked up at him and gave a small smile.

"What are you doing?" he asked, setting himself down next to her.

"I just needed to get away," she said, surprised at how she felt relieved at having company.

"What from?"

"Everything. Every student in there, all those teachers. And our friends. They're all staring at me. I don't know why, but I thought it would be easier than this. I thought that people wouldn't know," she laughed at herself, "I was stupid to think this would just go away. It's always going to be there now. That's going to be me now."

She was crying openly now, and Danny lifted a finger to wipe away her tears. His hands were warm, strong and utterly masculine.

"You don't have to let it define you. You can make it work for you in any way you want it to. You don't want them to feel sorry for you? Don't give them the opportunity. Do the assignments they told you that you didn't have to, make a new cheer routine, answer them every time they give you some side comment, just have fun. You're too good to let this break you. It doesn't matter about any of it, I think you're allowed to be hurt, but if you don't want anyone knowing that, then don't tell them."

She looked at him, her eyes still wet, making them look all the more like melted chocolate, whilst her chewing nervously at her lips, made them look all the more like ripe cherries. And it took all he had for him not to have a taste. She pulled him tight into a hug and he let his fingers toy with the ends of her golden strands.


	14. Chapter 14

Emma knew Danny was right and everything he had said rang in her mind as she lay in bed that night. She wasn't going to let herself be scared anymore. She had forced herself to sleep in her own room and had already dislodged the blood stain from her floor. She had stayed strong at the game too. Her teammates had expected her to bow out, but she wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction.

Danny had watched her the whole game. She was so incredible. Her smile was fixed on her face and her stupidly sexy dimples didn't move once. He was in awe of her. Her long hair danced in the wind, while her huge eyes sang. He tried to watch the game - something that was normally easy - but when she was there in her uniform, lifting her legs high past her head, it was pretty hard for a guy to focus.

It was strange lying in bed without her there. He was surprised he missed her, as it had been the hardest thing in the world having her lead next to him every night, but he now realised how much he liked being needed by her. He liked being the person who was helping her through this, it was the closest he'd ever been to her.

In the morning Emma was delighted to find herself woken up by the sunlight shining through her window. It had been too long, since that had been her wake up call, and as annoying as it had been all these years, she had a new found respect for it as it meant she wasn't being woken up by a crazed nightmare. She beamed as she rose and wondered to the bathroom. Her short silk robe hung untied over her underwear she had worn to bed that night. She had meant to put pyjamas on, but she had been too tired. She'd done it before, but it hadn't really mattered when she didn't have a seventeen year old guy, who just happened to be a mind-boggling kisser, living in your house.

Emma was humming quietly to herself as she walked down the corridor when the door to the guest-bedroom swung open. She jumped, finding herself stood directly in front of Danny. She saw him look at her startled, and then watched arousal grow in his eyes.

Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet and she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Trying to relax, she rested her head on the back of the door. Her brain ticked crazily desperately trying to explain the situation or diffuse her embarrassment. Why had he looked at her like that? They were good friends and good friends didn't look at each other like that, so why did he do it?

She considered for a second, well he was a teenage boy, and she did have a decent figure. Plus she caught him off-guard. He never would have reacted like that if she was wearing a bikini at the beach, because is would have expected it.

Having reassured herself, she turned on the shower and stepped in. However, she couldn't shake the vision of those intriguing green eyes looking at her with total lust. It stirred something inside her that she recognised from the night of her parents anniversary, and she wasn't sure she liked that it was back.

Ross was talking happily on the phone when Emma walked into the kitchen.

"Yes...We'll be there...Of course...And congratulations!...Ha...Okay, see you then."

Emma cocked her head at him, when he hung up, "Who was that?"

"That, was your brother," he grinned broadly, "He's engaged."

Emma gaped. "He proposed! To Evie? I didn't know they were that serious, we only just met her last week?"

"Actually they've been together for three years; he introduced her to us because he knew he was going to propose. Isn't that exciting?"

Emma faltered. "Yeah...really exciting."

Ross was grinning like a maniac, and didn't notice Emma's hesitance, "The engagement party's this Saturday, so clear any and all plans." Still grinning, Ross scooped up his briefcase and left for work.


	15. Chapter 15

Emma's week went by in a blur of school assignments, cheer practises and engagement party arrangements. Her dad had been spent every minute talking about plans; he'd always loved the romance of marriage. He was even worse than Riley, and Riley was completely crazy about weddings.

The party started at eight, and Emma sat in her room at seven seventeen staring at herself in her mirror. She adjusted her high-low skirt and ran her fingers through her long blonde locks. She slipped her feet into sky-high heels and applied a deep red lipstick.

Danny was getting ready in the guest room, and packing up his things. He was going home after the party; his mom had told him he had put the Gellers out long enough. It was true really. Honestly, he was still shocked Emma's parents had let him stay this long.

He walked down to Emma's bedroom and watched her from the doorway. Her shoulders were bare in a strapless bustier that made Danny's mouth dry. Her skin was smooth and perfectly bronzed. He watched as she rubbed and rolled her neck uncomfortably.

"Need any help with that?"

Emma turned to Danny and smiled warmly, "No, I'm fine. Just slept on it weird last night."

Danny crossed the room to her and turned her round, ignoring her objections. He pushed her hair over her shoulder, and dug his fingers into her shoulders.

Kneading carefully, he heard her sigh. Her scent wafted to him quickly, and his lust deepened, recognising a part of Emma that was completely hers. Torturing himself, he let his hands roam over her shoulders and utterly female neck. His breathing grew deeper, and his mind wavered. All he could think of was Emma. And he wanted her.

His hands drifted to her hips, and he felt her relax into him. His brain seemed to evaporate, and slowly he lowered his lips to her perfectly soft skin.

Emma's eyes blinked open and she stood staring at the mirror once more. Electricity shot through her at Danny's touch. Completely alarmed, her mind shouted at her to jump away, but somehow it wasn't reaching her limbs and she remained still. However, after a couple a seconds her curiosity took over, and her mind shut up.

His lips were warm and traced from her neck to her collar-bone and back in a line of soft kisses. Her breath caught in her throat as he nibbled gently on the edge of her jaw. She had never known a kiss so simple, to set her on fire like this one did. She watched herself in the mirror and she saw want in the brown of her eyes, then felt Danny twist her to face him suddenly, and recognised the same want in the green of his.

He looked at her and simply gazed into her eyes for several seconds, before lowering his lips to meet hers.

"Kids! We're going! Come get in the car!"

The sudden yell from down her stairs made Emma snap back into reality. She jumped apart from Danny as if a firework had gone off beneath her. Her mind whirred, and her heart hammered.

Clearing her throat and swaying slightly while she walked, she collected her bag from her dresser and turned back to Danny.

"We should go."

Danny nearly smirked at her forced control in her voice, but nodded. He felt a lot better knowing their moment hadn't just made_ his_ pulse quicken.


	16. Chapter 16

Emma felt relieved when the car pulled up at her brother's apartment, fashionably late. Her dad always freaked about being late, but her mom never came to a party earlier than half-an-hour late. With five people in the car, Danny was sat in the middle of the backseat, with his hands dangerously close to Emma's knee.

She jumped out of the car like a bullet from a gun, and walked up to the third floor without a word to anyone.

Emma was relieved to find the apartment bursting with people, noise and lovely smells. Before her parents could come in to stop her, she arrived at the bar, poured a large tequila shot, and downed it. It burned her throat, but relaxed her still pounding heart.

She still hadn't wrapped her head around it. His lips had felt so soft on her skin, and his breath had been so warm. She had wanted him. She had wanted Danny. And wanted him big. She wasn't sure how she felt about that fact.

She still wasn't properly okay with everything that had happened with Marcus. It was still very fresh in her mind. Despite trusting Danny completely, and she couldn't deny she had considered him crazy hot for years, but he'd been her rock and she really needed a friend like him. He was helping her through this and it was getting better. What if the sudden change in the situation, changed everything? It was too complicated for it ever to work.

But if the simple romance of his small kisses had done that to her, just imagine what he could do if she let him.

The party was everything an engagement party should be. Everyone was smiling, eating and drinking. She had managed to dodge Danny the whole time, spending it mingling old family friends and meeting Evie's family. Her mom, Kate, was beautifully tan with curly red hair, and looking pretty good for a mother of a bride.

It had been a couple of hours and Danny had been sat in the apartment watching Emma the whole time. She laughed loudly and charmed every person in the room effortlessly. She was currently stood in a circle of men in casual suits that Danny presumed were Ben's friends. He amused himself watching the five men flirt mercilessly with her. She really was the easiest girl to be transfixed by.

Emma felt his eyes on her and turned to look at him. As soon as she did she scolded herself as his green eyes made her heart lurch to her throat. He smiled at her knowingly, and she flicked her head away quickly. She felt her skin flame and a quiver ran down her spine.

"Excuse me."

Emma ignored the looks of surprise from her brother's friends and strode quickly to through a side door and into the guest bedroom. She shut the door behind her and slid down the door till she was sat down on the floor.

Hanging her head back against the door, she closed her eyes. She could barely hear the loud pumping of the music over the deafening pumping of her heart. On top of the other feelings that she was experiencing, Emma found that she was greatly irritated that Danny could make her heart race like she was about to be pushed off a cliff.

She bet he was doing it on purpose, just for the fun of it. This thought irritated her all the more - despite her knowing that Danny would never do anything to hurt her - but she found that being irritated felt a lot better than feeling like a star-struck puddle of teenage hormones. So she allowed herself to curse him and she found the harsh bass from the party fuelled her anger perfectly, and she was pacing within minutes.

Suddenly, the music's volume tripled and Emma turned to find Danny stood at the open door.

"I did knock," he told her.

Her eyes flared at him, "Of course you did."

He shut the door behind him, "Everything alright?"

Emma laughed sarcastically, "Why? You care all of a sudden?" Her brown eyes were on fire and Christ it was sexy.

Danny pushed the thought aside, softening his tone he took a step toward her, "I've always cared Emma."

Emma did the same, "Rubbish. You just wanted to prove that you could make me like you, because you're just a stupid insecure guy like every other guy, who wants to look all sexy to anything with boobs."

Danny raised his eyebrows at her, and Emma scolded herself again when she felt her cheeks flush, "You think I'm sexy?" he asked.

Emma faultered, "No. I think you think I think you're sexy."

Danny took another step toward her, "You think, I think, you think I'm sexy?" He considered, "Yeah, I do. I think you _do_ think I'm sexy." He took one more step so they were stood nose to nose, "Because your pulse quickens whenever I get this close," he trailed his fingers just under her chin and felt her pulse, "See?"

She swallowed, hating how nice it felt to have his hands on her, so gentle, "Fine. But you think I'm sexy too."

Danny smirked, "And what makes you think that?"

Emma paused for a second, then shuffled even closer so their bodies fitted together. She chewed her lip slowly. She kept her eyes on his. "See?" she whispered, "Your eyes glaze over. Your pupils dilate too, like I'm the only thing you can see."

Danny breathed, surprised by how much the energy in the room had changed. He placed his hands on her hips, and realised she was right – she was the only thing he could see.

She closed her eyes briefly and then looked up at Danny, her eyes full of emotion.

"I can't. I like you, I really do. But I just can't. I'm not ready yet, Marcus screwed me up so bad I need more time. Obviously, you can't wait for me, so we can just be friends, because I need you, and-"

"Stop." Danny took her face in his hands, "Don't worry, I'll be here. I'll always be here."


End file.
